Species In Britain Research Articles

Theroscopus trifasciatus Förster, 1850 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) new to the British fauna

On 11 June 2017 a highly distinctive micropterous female ichneumonid wasp was swept at the edge of a ride in mixed woodland dominated by Small-leaved Lime (Tilia cordata Miller) at Shrawley Wood, Worcestershire. There appears to be no documented record of this species in Britain. Comments on potential confusion species are provided.

Pedunculate Club-rush Bolboschoenus laticarpus (Cyperaceae) ‒ an overlooked native or a spreading neophyte?

Bolboschoenus laticarpus Marhold, Hroudová, Zákravský & Ducháček (for which we suggest the common name Pedunculate Club-rush) is reported from the British Isles and the characters which distinguish it from B. maritimus (L.) Palla are given. The known English distribution is presented and placed in its wider geographical context. The ecology and history of this species in Britain are outlined and its likely status is considered. B. laticarpus is locally abundant and widely distributed in a range of natural and artificial habitats, particularly within the Somerset Levels and also in the flood plains of some larger rivers, where it is now known to have been long persistent. B. laticarpus appears to be a successful colonist, having arrived recently in several newly created, artificial habitats. The mode of introduction is unknown but believed to be natural, and indeed elsewhere in Europe it is reportedly increasing within its natural range, perhaps as a consequence of changes in land-use, eutrophication and potentially climate. We therefore regard it as a native taxon.

Shrub establishment favoured and grass dominance reduced in acid heath grassland systems cleared of invasive Rhododendron ponticum

Rhododendron ponticum L. is a damaging invasive alien species in Britain, favouring the moist, temperate climate, and the acidic soils of upland areas. It outshades other species and is thought to create a soil environment of low pH that may be higher in phytotoxic phenolic compounds. We investigated native vegetation restoration and R. ponticum regeneration post-clearance using heathland sites within Snowdonia National Park, Wales; one site had existing R. ponticum stands and three were restoring post-clearance. Each site also had an adjacent, uninvaded control for comparison. We assessed whether native vegetation restoration was influenced post-invasion by soil chemical properties, including pH and phytotoxic compounds, using Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce) bioassays supported by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MSn). Cleared sites had higher shrub and bare ground cover, and lower grass and herbaceous species cover relative to adjacent uninvaded control sites; regenerating R. ponticum was also observed on all cleared sites. No phenolic compounds associated with R. ponticum were identified in any soil water leachates, and soil leachates from cleared sites had no inhibitory effect in L. sativa germination assays. We therefore conclude that reportedly phytotoxic compounds do not influence restoration post R. ponticum clearance. Soil pH however was lower beneath R. ponticum and on cleared sites, relative to adjacent uninvaded sites. The lower soil pH post-clearance may have favoured shrub species, which are typically tolerant of acidic soils. The higher shrub cover on cleared sites may have greater ecological value than unaffected grass dominated sites, particularly given the recent decline in such valuable heathland habitats. The presence of regenerating R. ponticum on all cleared sites however highlights the critical importance of monitoring and re-treating sites post initial clearance.

Abundance, biomass and energy use of native and alien breeding birds in Britain

We quantify the contribution of alien species to the total breeding population numbers, biomass and energy use of an entire taxonomic assemblage at a large spatial scale, using data on British birds from 1997 and 2013. A total of 216 native and 16 alien bird species were recorded as breeding in Great Britain across the two census years. Only 2.8–3.7% of British breeding bird individuals were alien, but alien species co-opted 11.9–13.8% of the energy used by the assemblage, and contributed 19.1–21.1% of assemblage biomass. Neither the population sizes nor biomasses of native and alien species differed, on average, in either census, but alien species biomass is higher than native species biomass for a given population size. Species richness underestimates the potential effects of alien bird species in Britain, which have disproportionately high overall biomass and population energy use. The main driver of these effects is the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), which comprised 74–81% of alien biomass, yet the breeding population of this species is still only a small fraction of the estimated 35 million birds released in the UK in autumn. The biomass of this release exceeds that of the entire breeding avifauna, and suggests that the pheasant should have an important role in structuring the communities in which it is embedded.

Nesting behaviour and breeding success of Willow Tits Poecile montanus in north-west England

ABSTRACTThe British Willow Tit Poecile montanus has undergone a substantial decline in abundance and a severe contraction in range since the 1970s, for reasons that are poorly understood. Breeding failure, due to nest-site competition and predation, has been suggested as a potential factor in the decline, but limited data exist for the nesting ecology and breeding productivity of the species in Britain. We studied a sample of 128 Willow Tit nests in a habitat mosaic of early successional woodland, scrub and wetland in a post-industrial landscape in north-west England, which is increasingly becoming a key refuge for the species in Britain. Results showed that nesting began in April, with standing deadwood of silver birch Betula pendula, common elder Sambucus nigra and black alder Alnus glutinosa being the most frequent nest sites, and the characteristics of nest sites are described. Daily survival rates and overall probability of nest survival are calculated, and details are given for the timing of breeding, clutch size, nestling survival and number of fledglings produced. Overall, 55% of nesting attempts were successful, although many first breeding attempts failed due to Willow Tits being evicted from their nest cavity by Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus, or nests being predated by Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major and, potentially, grey squirrels Sciurus carolinensis. Repeat breeding attempts were relatively more successful, but produced fewer fledglings on average. The results are discussed in the context of other studies of Willow Tits and some related species, and also the implications for the conservation of Willow Tits in Britain.

Orthotrichum patens Bruch & Brid. (Bryophyta, Orthotrichaceae) in Suffolk and Derbyshire, another epiphytic moss new to Britain

Orthotrichum patens is reported new to Britain from two sites in the counties of Suffolk and Derbyshire. Previous reports of this species in Britain are thought to be based on O. affine; they date from the nineteenth century at a time when the structure of the stomata was not recognised as significant. Orthotrichum patens is described and illustrated, and its diagnostic characters are discussed. Some comments are included on changes in the epiphytic bryophyte flora in Britain in recent decades.

El misterio de los misterios. Las islas Galápagos en Ecuador y la obra “El Origen de las Especies”

Charles Darwin menciona las islas Galápagos en dos secciones de su libro El Origen de las Especies. En comparación con otras fuentes de información, los datos recopilados en este archipiélago no son los protagonistas de su gran obra. Este hecho contrasta con la historiografía contemporánea y la cultura popular que otorgan un papel central a estas islas en su pensamiento. Cómo y cuándo Darwin resolvió el “Gran misterio de los misterios” y, en particular, el papel que desempeñó su visita a las islas Galápagos en este sentido, se han convertido en objeto de una considerable leyenda en la historia de la ciencia. Este artículo se basa en un análisis de El Origen de las Especies para entender el rol que cumplieron las impresiones y los datos recopilados en las islas Galápagos en el desarrollo de la teoría de la selección natural. Esta información fue claramente una fuente importante de inspiración, pero Darwin no descubrió la evolución en las islas. Los ejemplares recolectados en Galápagos no fueron la clave singular de su teoría de la evolución, tal como a menudo se lo presenta hoy en día. Décadas de experimentación sobre especies domésticas en Gran Bretaña proporcionaron la mayor parte de la evidencia para el desarrollo de su teoría.

There is more to maerl than meets the eye: DNA barcoding reveals a new species in Britain, Lithothamnion erinaceum sp. nov. (Hapalidiales, Rhodophyta)

ABSTRACT Due to the high plasticity of coralline algae, identification based on morphology alone can be extremely difficult, so studies increasingly use a combination of morphology and genetics in species delimitation. A DNA barcoding study was carried out on maerl-forming coralline algae using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 gene, CO1, and the plastid gene, psbA, on field specimens from Falmouth and Oban together with herbarium specimens from the Natural History Museum, UK, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, USA. Results revealed the presence in the north of Britain of a new species, Lithothamnion erinaceum Melbourne & J. Brodie, sp. nov., which was previously misidentified as Lithothamnion glaciale. The results also indicated that Lithothamnion lemoineae, which had earlier been recorded from Britain, was not present. One of the biggest concerns at present is how organisms will respond to climate change and ocean acidification, and it is imperative that investigations are put on a firm taxonomic basis. Our study has highlighted the importance of using molecular techniques to aid in the elucidation of cryptic diversity.

QTL analysis and genomic selection using RADseq derived markers in Sitka spruce: the potential utility of within family data

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) is the most common commercial plantation species in Britain and a breeding programme based on traditional lines has been in operation since the early 1960s. Rotation lengths of 40-years have led breeders to adopt a process of indirect selection at younger ages based on traits well correlated with final selection, but still the generation interval is unlikely to reduce much below twenty years. Recent successful developments with genomic selection in animal breeding have led tree breeders to consider the application of this technology. In this study a RAD sequence assay was developed as a means of investigating the potential of molecular breeding in a non-model species. DNA was extracted from nearly 500 clonally replicated trees growing in a single full-sibling family at one site in Britain. The technique proved successful in identifying 132 QTLs for 5-year bud-burst and 2 QTLs for 6-year height. In addition, the accuracy of predicting phenotypes by genomic selection was strikingly high at 0.62 and 0.59 respectively. Sensitivity analysis with 200 offspring found only a slight fall in correlation values (0.54 and 0.38) although when the training population reduced to 50 offspring predictive values fell further (0.33 and 0.25). This proved an encouraging first investigation into the potential use of genomic selection in the breeding of Sitka spruce. The authors investigate how problems associated with effective population size and linkage disequilibrium can be avoided and suggest a practical way of incorporating genomic selection into a dynamic breeding programme.

Identification ofArmillariaspecies on declined oak in Britain: implications for oak health

The identity of 51 isolates of Armillaria from 15 Quercus robur trees in poor health, and a single healthy tree, at nine sites in England, was determined using multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of three gene regions. Sequences of the ITS-1, IGS-1 and EF-1α gene regions were obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing, and phylogenetic trees were generated based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference of phylogenies. Four Armillaria species were isolated: Armillaria gallica, A. mellea, A. ostoyae and A. tabescens. Armillaria gallica was most frequently isolated (40/51 isolates), but only from woodland trees. Armillaria mellea was isolated infrequently (3/51), from garden trees; A. tabescens was isolated infrequently (4/51), from trees either in a garden or a parkland location. Armillaria ostoyae (4/51 isolates) was coisolated with A. gallica, raising interesting questions about the synecology of these species, suggesting that more thorough investigations are required to detect all species present on a single host. The distribution of these Armillaria species in Britain and historical information about them on oak are described. It is concluded that further studies are necessary to determine the role of Armillaria in oak declines; A. gallica should be a key focus, but investigations should include polymicrobial interactions with other microorganisms, including other Armillaria species.

Comparative biometrics of British Marsh Tits Poecile palustris and Willow Tits P. montana

ABSTRACTBiometrics are commonly used to compare bird species. For Marsh Tits and Willow Tits in Britain there are few biometric data from birds of known age and sex, despite their value for population analyses in estimating the proportion of males and females in samples. Comparing measurements between the two species could also aid identification and the monitoring of these declining species in Britain. We present biometrics for a large sample of Marsh Tits of known age and sex, and new data for Willow Tits, which act as reliable reference material. Overall, adults of both species were larger than first-years and males were larger than females, but not among first-year Willow Tits. Marsh Tits were slightly larger and heavier than Willow Tits, but Willow Tits had proportionately longer tails. Discriminant analyses produced new equations for separating the species based on wing length and the measurement between the shortest and longest tail feathers. Probabilities were generated for estimating Marsh Tit population structure from samples of ringing data, but there was a greater overlap between sexes in Willow Tit measurements. We conclude by discussing issues of measurement accuracy and consistency in the collection and analysis of biometric data.

Biological Flora of the British Isles: Ophrys sphegodes

Summary This account presents information on all aspects of the biology of Ophrys sphegodes Mill. that are relevant to understanding its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the framework of the Biological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characteristics, herbivores and disease, history and conservation. Native to Britain, O. sphegodes used to be more widely distributed throughout south‐eastern England, but is now mainly restricted to the counties of Dorset, East Sussex and Kent. It is widespread throughout the western parts of central and southern Europe, and is common in Spain, France and Italy. Further east, it occurs in Bulgaria and Greece, including most of the Mediterranean islands, and extends into southern Russia, Turkey and northern Iran. Ophrys sphegodes grows on calcareous, nutrient‐poor substrates and rarely under any shade. It is most common in ancient, heavily grazed grassland on chalk and Jurassic limestone, but it also occurs in disturbed habitats, horizontally oriented rock floors in limestone quarries, on old limestone quarry spoil heaps, and in lightly trampled calcareous grasslands on maritime cliffs. Ophrys sphegodes multiplies predominantly by sexual reproduction. Vegetative multiplication occasionally occurs through survival or splitting of the old tuber. In the UK, the species is almost exclusively pollinated by males of the solitary bee Andrena nigroaenea. Male bees are attracted by complex floral bouquets emitted by the flowers that strongly resemble pheromones produced by female A. nigroaenea. Fruit production is generally low, and in most populations, <15% of the flowers produce capsules. Ophrys sphegodes is reproductively isolated from other species in the genus by strong pre‐mating barriers, most notably temporal (differences in flowering time) and floral (different pollinators) isolation. In particular, differences in floral odour appear to underlie floral isolation. Nonetheless, several hybrids involving O. sphegodes have been described in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. The range of O. sphegodes in Britain declined dramatically in the twentieth century, leading to its extinction in twelve vice‐counties. Losses were mainly due to ploughing of grassland and changes in fertilizer and grazing regimes. Its range has increased somewhat in recent years. However, increases in spring temperature due to climate warming may seriously threaten the species in Britain by disrupting the close relationship between O. sphegodes flowering time and the phenology of flight of its prime pollinator, leading to reproductive failure.

Geastrum britannicum - a surprisingly common new species in Britain

Geastrum britannicum - a surprisingly common new species in Britain

Isaac Bayley Balfour, Sphagnum moss, and the Great War (1914–1918)

Isaac Bayley Balfour was a systematist specializing in Sino-Himalayan plants. He enjoyed a long and exceptionally distinguished academic career yet he was knighted, in 1920, “for services in connection with the war”. Together with an Edinburgh surgeon, Charles Cathcart, he had discovered in 1914 something well known to German doctors; dried Sphagnum (bog moss) makes highly absorptive, antiseptic wound dressings. Balfour directed the expertise and resources of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (of which he was Keeper), towards the identification of the most useful Sphagnum species in Britain and the production of leaflets telling collectors where to find the moss in Scotland. By 1918 over one million such dressings were used by British hospitals each month. Cathcart's Edinburgh organisation, which received moss before making it into dressings, proved a working model soon adopted in Ireland, and later in both Canada and the United States.

Pollinator declines. Extinctions of aculeate pollinators in Britain and the role of large-scale agricultural changes.

Pollinators are fundamental to maintaining both biodiversity and agricultural productivity, but habitat destruction, loss of flower resources, and increased use of pesticides are causing declines in their abundance and diversity. Using historical records, we assessed the rate of extinction of bee and flower-visiting wasp species in Britain from the mid-19th century to the present. The most rapid phase of extinction appears to be related to changes in agricultural policy and practice beginning in the 1920s, before the agricultural intensification prompted by the Second World War, often cited as the most important driver of biodiversity loss in Britain. Slowing of the extinction rate from the 1960s onward may be due to prior loss of the most sensitive species and/or effective conservation programs.

From Sir Joseph Banks to the world’s seaweed colloid industry: the discovery of original material and typification of the marine red alga Gloiopeltis tenax

Specimens of a seaweed sent to Sir Joseph Banks in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century by a collector in China were described as a new species, Fucus tenax, by the English botanist and antiquarian Dawson Turner. This seaweed has been extensively used in Japan, China and Korea as a source of glue and gum and has been more recently employed in a wide range of specialised applications, including the conservation of antiquarian objects. Banks raised with Turner the possibility that similar species in Britain could be used for the extraction of ‘gelatine’. This was a very early recognition of the potential use of marine phycocolloids from seaweeds and ultimately led to a marine hydrocolloid industry with projected wholesale sales in excess of US$1.56 billion in 2014. Specimens of Fucus tenax Turner [the generitype of Gloiopeltis J. Agardh, now Gloiopeltis tenax (Turner) J. Agardh] discovered in the Natural History Museum, London (BM), and the Eton College Natural History Museum (ECNHM) are considered to be the material upon which the descriptions and illustrations published by Turner (Ann Bot 2:376–378, 1806; Typis J 2:72–134, 1808–1809) were based, and a lectotype (BM) and provisional isolectotypes (ECNHM) are designated here to facilitate future molecular studies of species of the genus.

Phytophthora austrocedrae emerges as a serious threat to juniper (Juniperus communis) in Britain

From 2011 to 2013, Phytophthora austrocedrae was isolated from diseased Juniperus communis exhibiting dieback and mortality at eight geographically separate sites in Scotland and northern England. The pathogen was also confirmed present either by standard PCR of the ITS locus and sequencing or by real‐time PCR on J. communis with symptoms at a further 11 sites in northern Britain. Out of 167 J. communis sampled across the 19 sites, 154 had foliage dieback over all or part of the crown as a result of basal lesions, which extended up the stem. Thirteen sampled trees had aerial branch lesions or discrete stem lesions with no apparent connection to the base of the tree. At 13 sites, dieback was concentrated in areas of poor drainage and/or alongside streams and other watercourses. In artificial inoculation experiments, P. austrocedrae caused rapidly extending stem and root lesions on J. communis and was reisolated from these lesions. Lesions also developed on Chamaecyparis lawsoniana and Chamaecyparis nootkatensis but the pathogen was not reisolated. All P. austrocedrae isolates obtained from J. communis in Britain shared 100% identity across the ITS locus but were distinct at one sequence position from P. austrocedrae isolates collected in Argentina from diseased Austrocedrus chilensis. This study provides clear evidence that P. austrocedrae is a primary pathogen of J. communis and now presents a significant threat to this species in Britain. Pathways for the emergence of P. austrocedrae in Britain, and possible ways in which the pathogen may have spread within the country, are discussed.

Molecular footprints of the Holocene retreat of dwarf birch in Britain.

Past reproductive interactions among incompletely isolated species may leave behind a trail of introgressed alleles, shedding light on historical range movements. Betula pubescens is a widespread native tetraploid tree species in Britain, occupying habitats intermediate to those of its native diploid relatives, B. pendula and B. nana. Genotyping 1134 trees from the three species at 12 microsatellite loci, we found evidence of introgression from both diploid species into B. pubescens, despite the ploidy difference. Surprisingly, introgression from B. nana, a dwarf species whose present range is highly restricted in northern, high-altitude peat bogs, was greater than introgression from B. pendula, which is morphologically similar to B. pubescens and has a substantially overlapping range. A cline of introgression from B. nana was found extending into B. pubescens populations far to the south of the current B. nana range. We suggest that this genetic pattern is a footprint of a historical decline and/or northwards shift in the range of B. nana populations due to climate warming in the Holocene. This is consistent with pollen records that show a broader, more southerly distribution of B. nana in the past. Ecological niche modelling predicts that B. nana is adapted to a larger range than it currently occupies, suggesting additional factors such as grazing and hybridization may have exacerbated its decline. We found very little introgression between B. nana and B. pendula, despite both being diploid, perhaps because their distributions in the past have rarely overlapped. Future conservation of B. nana may partly depend on minimization of hybridization with B. pubescens, and avoidance of planting B. pendula near B. nana populations.

A spatial and temporal drought risk assessment of three major tree species in Britain using probabilistic climate change projections

Probabilistic climate data have become available for the first time through the UK Climate Projections 2009, so that the risk of change in tree growth can be quantified. We assessed the drought risk spatially and temporally using drought probabilities calculated from the weather generator data and tree species vulnerabilities using Ecological Site Classification model across Britain. We evaluated the drought impact on the potential yield class of three major tree species (Picea sitchensis, Pinus sylvestris, and Quercus robur), which cover around 59 % (400,700 ha) of state-managed forests, across the lowlands and uplands. We show that drought impacts result mostly in reduced tree growth over the next 80 years when using B1, A1B, and A1FI IPCC emissions scenarios, but varied spatially. We found a maximum reduction of 94 % but also a maximum increase of 56 % in potential stand yield class in the 2080s from the baseline climate (1961–1990). Furthermore, potential production over the state-managed forests for all three species in the 2080s is estimated to decrease due to drought by 42 % in the lowlands and by 32 % in the uplands in comparison to the baseline climate. Our results reveal that potential tree growth and forest production on the state-managed forests in Britain is likely to reduce, and indicate where and when adaptation measures are required. Moreover, this paper demonstrates the value of probabilistic climate projections for an important economic and environmental sector.

GB Non-native Species Information Portal: documenting the arrival of non-native species in Britain

Information on non-native species (NNS) is often scattered among a multitude of sources, such as regional and national databases, peer-reviewed and grey literature, unpublished research projects, institutional datasets and with taxonomic experts. Here we report on the development of a database designed for the collation of information in Britain. The project involved working with volunteer experts to populate a database of NNS (hereafter called “the species register”). Each species occupies a row within the database with information on aspects of the species’ biology such as environment (marine, freshwater, terrestrial etc.), functional type (predator, parasite etc.), habitats occupied in the invaded range (using EUNIS classification), invasion pathways, establishment status in Britain and impacts. The information is delivered through the Great Britain Non-Native Species Information Portal hosted by the Non-Native Species Secretariat. By the end of 2011 there were 1958 established NNS in Britain. There has been a dramatic increase over time in the rate of NNS arriving in Britain and those becoming established. The majority of established NNS are higher plants (1,376 species). Insects are the next most numerous group (344 species) followed by non-insect invertebrates (158 species), vertebrates (50 species), algae (24 species) and lower plants (6 species). Inventories of NNS are seen as an essential tool in the management of biological invasions. The use of such lists is diverse and far-reaching. However, the increasing number of new arrivals highlights both the dynamic nature of invasions and the importance of updating NNS inventories.